August 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 41

Conservancy has worked closely with the city and
other local funding sources and has raised more
than $45 million for park improvements.
While seeking assistance from and establishing
new stakeholders is essential, 89 percent of directors in the 2000 survey said they would seek input
from employees to find ways to cut costs and raise
revenue. Recessions are scary times for employees,
and fear can lead to low morale. Directors can use
the crisis to help bring together employees by letting them know you are committed to preserving
their jobs, programs and facilities, and helping to
empower them to be a part of the solution.

2. Increase financial resources by pursuing
an expanded menu of revenue sources
In the 2000 study, grants, donations, and cost/benefit analyses of services were cited by the majority of
administrators as ways to secure additional sources
of revenue. However, acquiring these revenues requires initial and on-going investments of agency
time and resources. One option is to contract or hire
an in-house development specialist or grant writer
for special park initiatives and projects.
Another approach is the development of a Market Based Revenue Opportunities (MBRO) Plan.
The objective of the MBRO is to generate recurring, long-term incremental revenues as well as
savings as an alternative to raising taxes. Depending on your assets and potential, the MBRO can take
many forms-from facility and park naming rights
to corporate and event sponsorship and endorsement of an " official " city soft drink or other products.
The MBRO will often look to bundle and/or package
your unique assets for corporate sponsorships. For
example, by bundling your summer concerts, movies in the parks, and special events the likelihood
of securing larger dollar donations and/or sponsorships increases.
Contractual services, such as concessionaires
(who offer both products/services), can provide
the agency with more diversified revenue sources.
However, concessions need to be treated as a central component of the agencies operations rather
than just a nice after-thought for visitors/patrons. A
number of strategies to expand an organization's financial resources are listed in Figure 1. However,
one should be cognizant and understand the political realities of exploring new ways to raise revenues. In Arizona, the senate recently rejected a
proposal to allow people to make voluntary contributions to help avert state parks from closure.

The measure would have allowed those who are
applying for a renewal of their vehicle registration
to donate $10, which would have gone into a special fund.

3. Reduce expenditures and
operational costs
The number-one expenditure for most parks and
recreation agencies is personnel. Even though a
majority of respondents in 2000 indicated that they
would not cut full-time positions (79 percent), the
reality of this recession is that many agencies have
no choice. Conducting an employee analysis in one
form or another has become essential to reduce expenses. Many agencies are exploring consolidation
of positions, hiring freezes, creating nine-month positions, instituting furloughs, and offering early retirement options. Many cities have frozen cost of
living adjustments and merit-based pay increases,
and others are even cutting back on paid holidays.
Nonessential spending, such as mobile phone
services, holiday parties and banquets, training

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SEPTEMBER 2010

Parks & Recreation 39

August 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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